roberts



March '15, 1932. H. L. ROBERTS 1,849,639

PENETRATING CLIP FOR BOOKS, ETC

Filed Feb, 12, 1930 Elwvemtoz HORACE L. ROBERTS 95 his claw Patented Mar. 15, 1932 UNITED STATES HORACE L. ROBERTS, OF MOUNT VERNON, NEW YORK PENETRATING CLIP FOR BOOKS, ETC.

Application filed February 12,1930. Serial No. 427,800.

This invention relates to clips or similar devices whereby paper-bound books, such as telephone directories, almanacs, catalogues and similar or other articles capable of being penetrated by sharp awl-like points, may be suspended or held in any desired position for convenient use.

The object of my invention is to provide a clip or loop in such a form that it will have a considerable elasticity and will be provided with penetrating points such that by constant use and by more or less oscillatory movements the points will be caused to penetrate more and more deeply until the limit of elastic action has been reached.

Another object of my inventionis to provide a device of the kind described that can be easily placed in position and removed without the necessity of providing drilled or punched holes in book-leaves and similar articles to be held thereby, while at the same time the article will be held fully as firmly as tlliiough such holes had been made in the boo For a detailed description of two forms of my invention, reference may be had to the following specification and to the accompanying drawings forming a part thereof, in which Fig. 1 is a perspective view of one form of my invention; Fig. 2 is a similar view of another form thereof; and Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the device of Fig. 1, applied to a paper or cloth-bound book.

Referring to Fig. 1 of the drawings the numeral 1 indicates a resilient loop or coil, preferably of two or three turns of spring or resilient wire. The ends of the coil are extended laterally as at 2, substantially parallel.

ing a plurality of turns or loops. This construction allows the'point's'to be separated so that they may be placed over the corner'of a telephone directory or similar book and when the tension is released the points will enter the material of the book to a considerable extent. An oscillatory or rotary movement of t'he'loop 1 about the axis of the points 4: will cause'the'latter to penetrate further into the material of the book. As the use ofthe'book continues, such as in placing it or removing it from a hook or nail the movement of the loop 1 will cause the points to penetrate further and further until the elasticity or spring action of the loop has been allowed to return the clip in its normal shape and condition. When this condition has been reached the holes made by the penetrating points will be of such a depth that the material of the book y will hold the device firmly in position and no normal pull or tension will allow the same to become separated from the article in which it has been inserted as described. Washers 5 may be forced or driven onto the portions 4 to prevent wear on the book. These washers form buttons which limit the penetration of the prongs and yet allow expansion of the clip without injury to the book.

A further advantage of the device resides in the fact that when the device is applied to a book near the margins thereof, the same may be opened as shown in Fig. 3 without interfering with an examination of the leaves and, owing to the spring action of the turns of the coil of the device, the opened book will lie substantially flat and the device will form a resilient reinforcement for the corner of the book to prevent the leaves from tearing and from separating as often does occur when the book is not permanently bound for long usage.

The device shown in Fig. 2 is similar to that shown in Fig. 1, except that the resilient coil 1 is arranged in a plane substantially coincident with the plane of the lateral ends 2, 3 and 4:. This arrangement permits two of the clips to be attached to the back of a book at the top and bottom and a rod may be passed axially through both of the clips. Other and similar advantages and uses of the device will be ap arent without further description thereoi? Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to protect by Letters Patent is A holding or suspending device for penetrable objects of paper, such as telephone directories and the like, comprising a coil c011- sisting of a plurality of turns of resilient material, portions extending in opposite directions from the ends of said coil in a substantially continuous line, parallel portions extending at right angles from said lateral portions and inwardly turned portions having substantially annular stops fixed thereon and terminating in penetrating points of substantially pyramidal shape, said inwardly turned portions forming resilient gripping means permitting free opening of the book and forming bearings which are caused to enter said book by the spring action of said coil, all of said portions being made of continuous wire and said inwardly turned portions being held in normal position solely by resiliency of said coil- HORACE L. ROBERTS. 

